HC Deb 21 November 1917 vol 99 cc1291-2

(1) Any expenses properly incurred by any registration officer in the performance of his duties in relation to registration, including all proper and reasonable charges for trouble, care and attention in the performance of those duties, and any costs incurred by him as party to an appeal, shall be paid by the council whose clerk the registration officer is, subject, in cases where the registration area is not coterminous with or wholly contained in the area of that council to such contributions by the council of any other county or borough as the Local Government Board may direct.

Any such expenses shall be paid in the case of the council of a county out of the county fund, and if the case requires as expenses for special county purposes, and in the case of a council of a borough out of the borough fund or borough rate, or, where there is no borough fund or borough rate, out of the fund or rate out of which the ordinary expenses of the council of the borough are paid.

(2) Any fees or other sum received by the registration officer in respect of his duties as such officer other than sums paid to that officer in respect of his expenses under this Act, shall be accounted for by that officer and paid to the credit of the fund or rate out of which the expenses of that officer are paid.

(3) There shall be paid out of moneys provided by Parliament to the council of any county or borough in aid of the fund or rate out of which any registration expenses are paid by the council, where those expenses do not exceed the maximum amount under a scale to be settled by the Treasury, one-half of the amount so paid by the council, and where the expenses exceed that maximum amount, one-half of the maximum amount.

Amendment made: In Sub-section (1), after the word "appeal," insert the words "(in this Act referred to as registration expenses)." —[Mr. Fisher.]

Mr. FISHER

I beg to move, at the end of Sub-section (1), to insert, (2) The Treasury may frame a scale of registration expenses applicable to all or any class or classes of those expenses, and may alter the scale as and when they think fit. Any expenses incurred by the registration officer of a class to which the scale is applicable shall be taken to be properly incurred if they do not exceed the maximum amount determined by or in accordance with the scale, and so far as they do exceed that amount shall be taken not to have been properly incurred unless the excess is specially sanctioned by the council and the Treasury either before or after the expenses have been incurred. If any question arises whether any expenses incurred by the registration officer of a class to which the scale is not applicable have been properly incurred or not, that question shall be referred to the Local Government Board, and the decision of the Board on the question shall be final.

Colonel SANDERS

I wish to ask the right hon. Gentleman if he can state what difference this Amendment makes in the Bill as we passed it in Committee. I have not studied the Amendment before, and I want to know whether it really makes any substantial difference?

Sir G. CAVE

This Amendment carries out a promise made in Committee, and I think it meets the views of the House.

Amendment agreed to.

Further Amendments made: In Subsection (2), leave out the words " expenses under this Act," and insert instead thereof the words "registration expenses."

In Sub-section (3), leave out the words " where those expenses do not exceed the maximum amount under the scale to be settled by the Treasury, and insert instead thereof the words "in accordance with this Act."

After the word " council [" by the council "] leave out the words " and where the expenses exceed the ,maximum amount, one-half of the maximum amount."

At the end, insert the words " (5) On the request of the registration officer of any registration area for an advance on account of registration expenses, the council whose clerk the registration officer is, may, if they think fit, make such an advance to him of such amount and subject to such conditions as the council may approve." —[Sir G. Cave.]